The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
Initiators may be used in a wide range of applications to supply rapid and intense heat to a device. For example, an initiator may be used in conjunction with an inflator of an airbag assembly in initiation of a chemical reaction, in pharmaceutical devices, in initiation of other energetic events such as mining activities, initiation of heating or pressurization, or other chemical reactions in medical devices or diagnostic equipment. When used in conjunction with an inflator, the initiator may selectively ignite a volume of gas disposed within the inflator to fill an airbag of the airbag assembly in response to an impact event experienced by a vehicle. When used in conjunction with certain medical devices, the igniter may selectively supply heat to the substrate to initiate the reaction of an additional chemical composition.
Conventional initiators typically include a pyrotechnic material disposed on a distal end of a header assembly which, when energized, ignites and supplies heat rapidly to an area generally surrounding the pyrotechnic material. While conventional initiators adequately supply heat when the pyrotechnic material is ignited, performance of such initiators may be degraded if the pyrotechnic material is cracked and/or misaligned relative to the header assembly of the initiator. Pyrotechnic material used in conventional initiators may be prone to such cracking and/or misalignment, as such pyrotechnic material is typically disposed on an open, outer surface of the header assembly. Furthermore, because the pyrotechnic material is typically disposed at an open, distal end of the header assembly, the amount of pyrotechnic material employed by the initiator is typically limited and is difficult to apply during manufacturing of the header assembly. Additionally, the primary pyrotechnic material is typically consolidated onto the bridgewire or ignition element. This header/bridgewire subassembly may be inserted directly into the pyrotechnic material to provide the required intimate contact to aid in rapid initiation of additional pyrotechnic output compositions. The method herein described does not require this intimate contact or consolidation.